West's trial was scheduled to begin before Saginaw County Circuit Judge James T. Borchard on Tuesday. Borchard approved Klimaszewski's request to add Boose, who the attorney stated in court documents is 18, to the defense witness list and then adjourned the trial until April 23.

West, 24, is charged with felony murder and 11 other offenses in the May 30 homicide of the 36-year-old Kuhlman at Kuhlman's home, 2555 Luella off Weiss near Hemmeter in Saginaw Township, where Kuhlman and eight others were participating in a high stakes poker game.

Testimony from West's preliminary hearing showed that just before 1 a.m. May 30, the nine players, including Kuhlman, heard loud banging on the front door. Kuhlman went to the door, and quickly realized he and the others were being robbed and said as much, witnesses said.

The exact details of the incident varied some between the witnesses, but they all testified that they heard at least one gunshot fired through the door. The poker players scurried — some, like John Allen, running to the home's backyard, and others jumping behind a couch and hiding.

Allen, who ran away through the backyard, testified that he was shot in the lower right back as he ran.

Nobody at the scene identified West as one of the intruders; one witness testified that West earlier in the evening drove to Kuhlman's home and sold him powder cocaine.

In her motion to add Boose to the witness list, Klimaszewski wrote that she has been trying to contact Boose since before the preliminary hearing but that Boose “has been avoided contact” with Klimaszewski.

In addition, Klimaszewski wrote, Boose's mother “has been pressuring him not to cooperate with the defense in this matter.”

Klimaszewski wrote that she “finally” spoke with Boose on Feb. 9.

Boose is “an important witness that is essential to the defense” who “will testify that (West) was with him during the evening hours of (May 29) until the morning hours at the home where (West) was staying at 2020 Hanchett” in Saginaw.

Saginaw Township police officers last week testified, as they did during West's preliminary hearing, that they found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun behind the glove box of the Chevrolet Blazer that witnesses said West drove to Kuhlman's home that evening and that West was driving May 31 when he was stopped by police.

Testimony from West's preliminary hearing showed that the gun fired the seven shell casings found on Kuhlman's property after the incident.

In addition to the murder charge, which means somebody was killed during the commission of a specified felony and which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, West also is charged with assault with intent to murder Allen, single counts of armed robbery and first-degree home invasion, separate counts of conspiring to commit armed robbery and first-degree home invasion, and six firearm offenses.

Boose will be one of two defense witnesses. Borchard last week granted Klimaszewski's request for an expert witness to examine fingerprints that state police experts have testified West left on a door leading to the backyard of Kuhlman's house and on the handgun. Borchard approved up to $1,600 to be spent for the analysis, which does not include paying the expert to testify regarding the findings.